Bahá’í News/Issue 374/Text
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| No. 374 | BAHA’I YEAR 119 | MAY, 1962 |
‘Abdu’l-Bahá with children and youth in Chicago during His visit to America.
A Memorable Day[edit]
ON MAY 1, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, braving cold and windy weather, dedicated the cornerstone of the Mother Temple of the West in Wilmette, Illinois. The pictures on this page recall the momentous event. Counter-clockwise, beginning at upper left:
An early model of the House of Worship.
The Temple property at the time of its purchase.
The ceremonies opened with an address by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in a tent erected on the site.
Later the Master and the assembled friends moved toward the spot where the dedication stone was to be laid.
Handed a golden trowel for the ground-breaking, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called for heavier implements with which to pierce the gravelly soil. Here He waits for the tools.
After the ground-breaking, friends representing many races helped in turn to deepen the excavation for the stone. Then the Master consigned it to its resting place on behalf of all the peoples of the world.
Northern Rhodesia and Swaziland Joyfully Hold Their First Summer Schools[edit]
Near the end of December Bahá’í history in the making could be observed in South and West Africa as “first-time” summer schools were carried into effect in Northern Rhodesia and Swaziland. Attended by eager, enthusiastic groups, both schools exemplified the power of the Faith to bring people together for truly cooperative living, work and study.
For Northern Rhodesia’s three-day school sixty-six people gathered on December 24 at a camp in lovely, forest-girded Mulungushi. Available facilities included a meeting hall, dining room, four dormitories and, for overflow accommodations, tents. Groups of believers from various sections were responsible for the preparation and management of the camp, transportation and the school program.
Study periods covered Persian pronunciation, the history of the Faith, the rise of Islam, administration — including consultation and the functioning of committees — and the Bahá’í concept of men and women working together.
The latter was explained through a combination of lecture and demonstration. Situations occurring in everyday living were acted out, and the class was then asked to give opinions on how believers should conduct themselves under the circumstances.
The keynote throughout the duration of the school was service in the mystical-practical spirit of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. and for this there were many opportunities — in the classes, in arranging and taking part in the devotions, and in the more humdrum tasks of preparing and serving food and maintaining cleanliness and order in the camp. This spirit persisted to the very end of the school as powerful words of Bahá’u’lláh were read to the soft, sweet accompaniment of the Fisenge choir.
The Auspicious Swaziland School[edit]
Over the same December week end the believers of Swaziland held their historic first summer school on Golden Ranch at Malkerns. By bus, bicycle and car, and on foot, about fifty friends from many centers met happily at the beautiful school site, located amid rolling, cultivated hills and looking out upon distant pine-covered mountains.
The days began with devotions at 6 a.m. Next came the breakfast “break,” with classes starting at eight o’clock. As at the Rhodesian school, the courses were to a large extent part lecture and part demonstration. A highlight of a class on consultation was a visual exemplification of how the local assembly can assist in the solution of personal as well as community problems.
A class on Bible prophecy and Christian beliefs brought out eagerly received explanations, from the Teachings, of the return of Christ, the story of Adam and Eve, baptism and original sin. Subsequently there were vivid portrayals of the lives of some of the Dawn-breakers: Quddús, Mullá Ḥusayn and Ṭáhirih; a class on Bahá’í attributes, and another embodying practice teaching.
The school’s running theme was the South and West Africa Region’s last remaining Crusade goal, mass conversion. As if to test whether the love, unity, knowledge and zeal imparted by the school would further this end, three African teachers went out to a remote region immediately after its close — and brought in nineteen declarations.
A group at Swaziland’s historic first summer school, held at Malkerns December 23 to 26, 1961.
Fifteen Events Mark Upsurge of Teaching and Promulgation in Venezuela[edit]
A review of activities in Venezuela for the Bahá’í year just ended reveals an imposing record of teaching and promulgation.
Among the many projects carried out were six teaching trips to various Indian tribes. This was the first time that the Faith was taken to these people. Sra. Yolanda Stronach, the first Venezuelan believer to undertake the work, made the initial journey to Indian territory, and was largely responsible for inspiring other Bahá’ís to arise and do likewise.
Sra. Stronach traveled from Caracas to the southeastern-most point in the country, Pere Taipuy. She spoke to different tribes and distributed literature en route. The Indians in the vicinity of Pere Taipuy are rather primitive, insects being a part of their diet. A few know Spanish but the majority speak only their own languages, Taurepane and Pemón. These people showed a receptivity to the Faith and accepted the proffered literature, which they carried with them back to their pueblo. Later Sra. Stronach made a second trip covering some of the same area as the first.
Another believer, Sra. Ana Gotto, traveled from Caracas to El Dorado, teaching the members of several tribes. She plans on revisiting these areas and spending more time with the people whom she originally contacted.
Pioneering Among the Guahibos[edit]
Dr. Isreal Posner and Peter McLaren made two trips to Venezuela’s Amazon Territory. They found a tribe of Indians called the Guahibos and during their first trip lived with them for two weeks. On the second visit Peter remained for three weeks and Dr. Posner five weeks. When the pioneers went to see this tribe the second time, they did not know whether the Guahibos would remember them; however, as they approached the village, one of the elderly women saw them and began jumping up and down and laughing with joy, meanwhile shouting, “the Bahá’ís, the Bahá’ís!”
Since the Guahibos speak only their native tongue, the pioneers formed classes to teach them to read and write Spanish. During the first visit the Indians promised that they would build a school when the Bahá’ís returned, so that they might have a place to learn and study. They were true to their word and during the second trip, in late December and January, the school was built. The structure, which is of good size, has open sides and is covered with a pointed roof of palm leaves. In front of the school is a sign with the inscription, “Escuela Bahá’í,” together with the Greatest Name and “La Nueva Era” (The New Era), the name given to the village by the pioneers.
Some members of the Guahibo tribe of Indians in Venezuela’s Amazon Territory. At the extreme right of the group is pioneer Peter McLaren.
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Sra. Yolanda Stronach (center) with a group of Indians in the interior of Venezuela.
Believers and guests at the school held in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, on February 18.
The Guahibos, like most Indians in the vicinity, are
extremely poor and very primitive. They cannot read
or write, wear simple clothing, have very little to eat
and live in thatch-type huts. There was a possibility
that the members of the tribe might declare themselves en masse in April, and six believers planned to
visit them at that time. Much dedicated work has been
done among these Indians, and the friends hope to be
able to train one of them very soon to carry on the
teaching work.
Another region in the Indian territory was visited by Miss Katharine Meyer, pioneer on the Island of Margarita. She traveled to Santa Elena, in southeastern Venezuela, and discussed the Faith with members of several tribes. Recently she received an invitation from the chief of the Mauraks, asking her to visit his tribe and tell them more about the Teachings. Miss Meyer planned to visit this tribe at the earliest possible moment. The Indians in this area are a little more advanced and quite a few read, write and speak Spanish.
Thus the first steps have been taken to bring the glad tidings to the Indians of Venezuela, hastening the day
Dr. Isreal Posner holding a class for a group of Guahibo Indians gathered at one of their “chosas” (huts) in the Amazon Territory of Venezuela.
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when they will make their heart-stirring entrance into
the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.
Conferences, Schools and a Climactic Teaching Congress[edit]
The year’s consolidation work included two previously noted regional teaching conferences, held in Barquisimeto and Valencia. And over a four-month period extending into February the National Teaching Committee conducted a series of schools in the five established Bahá’í communities, thus giving all the friends in these localities, their contacts and nearby isolated believers an opportunity to attend inspirational teaching and deepening sessions.
Attendance at the schools ranged from about forty in the Sucre District to fifteen in distant, semi-isolated Barquisimeto. At Maracay one of the guest students declared himself, and there were two declarations at the Valencia school. Caracas, the capital of the country, showed one of the largest attendances.
The series of schools was the first of its kind to be held in Venezuela. Included were study and consultation on such subjects as prayer, life after death, the history of the Faith, the life of Bahá’u’lláh and the power and influence of the Manifestations. In all cases the consultation was excellent, being stimulated by questions asked of the students during and after the presentation on each topic. The spirit of the sessions was equally gratifying, being characterized by animation, harmony and enthusiasm.
As the schools drew toward a close, Venezuelan activities were augmented by a successful World Religion Day observance sponsored by the Caracas and Sucre District communities. On the day preceding it a 750-word feature article on the Faith appeared in the Caracas newspaper El Mundo. The celebration itself was attended by more than seventy-five persons.
Capping the year’s events was a national teaching congress held in Caracas in late March with the purpose of inspiring all of the believers to teach the Cause as never before during the last year of the Crusade.
|
Correction
On page 1 of the February BAHÁ’Í NEWS the caption for the picture of the Hands of the Cause erroneously stated that Dr. Hermann Grossmann was not included. It was H. Collis Featherstone who was not shown in the illustration. |
Teaching conference held on the last week end of February in the Dominican Republic. Third from right in front row is Mrs. Louise Caswell, U.S. pioneer.
Dominican Friends Conduct Week-End Teaching Conference[edit]
A teaching conference in the Dominican Republic’s capital city on February 24 and 25 had as its honored guest and speaker Mrs. Louise Caswell, well-known United States pioneer now serving in Guatemala.
Mrs. Caswell opened the program for the week end with a comprehensive talk on the Faith. Subsequent topics covered the spiritual transformation of the individual, the facing of economic and social problems, and the achievement of a true world order. All were beautifully expounded to an eager and attentive audience.
Local Assembly of Salem, Oregon, Authorized to Perform Marriages Under State Law[edit]
The Spiritual Assembly of Salem has been granted legal authority to perform Bahá’í marriages under Oregon law by filing a document naming the chairman of the Assembly as the representative who will conduct the ceremonies.
From the investigation made by the Salem Assembly it is apparent that Oregon law does not require that a local spiritual assembly be incorporated in order to perform legal Bahá’í marriages.
New Zealand Summer School Opened by City Official[edit]
The twenty-second annual summer school of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand was held from January 5 to 12 at Craigweil House, Helensville. About twenty-five believers plus their friends and children attended.
The school was officially opened by the mayor of Helensville with a cordial welcome to all the visitors.
Faith Cited for Exceptional Cooperation in UN Day Observances[edit]
In summarizing the sixteenth-anniversary celebration of UN Day, the 1961 Annual Report of the United States Committee for the United Nations stated that out of 136 member organizations which cooperated in local observances, the Faith was one of nine that reached all-time highs.
The specific reference to the Faith is as follows: “The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís sent a special recording of a UN program to 800 radio stations, as well as to all local chapters.”
One Year of Teaching Among the Masses in India[edit]
(Continued from April issue)
The Story of Bhagirath[edit]
Listen to the story of Bhagirath, who has taught the Cause to many in his village. When we asked him how he was able to attract so many people, he said: “Before I knew about the Bahá’í Faith, a Brahmin of our village took a loan of five rupees from me to be returned by a stipulated date. When promised date had passed, I used to go every day to him, blaming him of dishonesty. Of course, being a member of lower caste, I could not make much success in getting my money back from the said Brahmin. Thus I had frequent rows with the gentleman.
“Meanwhile I heard about the advent of a new Manifestation of God and I was interested to know more about it. Some of my friends in the neighboring villages told me that a Bahá’í Conference was to be held at Village Harsodan. It was not quite near to my village but somehow there was an urge within me to go and see what this conference was all about. I went and found a new perspective and meaning for my life. I came back to my village as a Bahá’í with a changed and confident heart.
“I saw my old Brahmin friend but instead of quarreling and abusing him, I had a smile on my face. Soon the Brahmin found that it was no more necessary for him to escape from my sight. I never mentioned my five rupees to him. The Brahmin soon noticed this change of heart and attitude in me. My new and unexpected behavior exceeded his patience. Soon he came to me and asked: ‘What has happened to you? Why are you no more demanding your money from me?’ My reply was, ‘Now I am a Bahá’í and Bahá’u’lláh has told us to meet evil with good, enmity with love....’
“To cut it short, the Brahmin is now a good Bahá’í; so are a great number of people of the village.”
How the Faith Transforms the Hearts[edit]
Parthi is a lame man who walks with the aid of a stick on the top of his toes. His feet are defective. He is so enthusiastic that after a conference he proclaims, “I will walk on foot from village to village to give the good Message of Bahá’u’lláh.” He is a Chowkidar (watchman) who, according to existing customs in this country, comes from a lower caste. He gave the Message to Mr. Sharma, a government official in the village and coming from the highest caste. Though casteism has been abolished in India by law, it is still very much in practice and usually the higher-caste people do not associate with lower-caste people, who once used to be called “untouchables.” Anyhow, Mr. Sharma and Mr. Parthi were good examples of how the hearts could be changed by the Power of God. Once Parthi wanted to attend a Bahá’í Conference. He could not get leave from his employer. Mr. Sharma, the Brahmin and a respectable official in the village, volunteered to substitute for Parthi and act as watchman at night in his place, and thus relieved him to go to the Bahá’í Conference. This is what the Message creates among the masses.
There are many such miraculous examples which we have experienced in India during the past year. We are sure that they will be related and narrated by the future Bahá’ís, who will enjoy the Divine Civilization of Bahá’u’lláh whose foundation is being laid by the hands of these wonderful souls and at this eventful time. I wish I could express the joy and happiness of the people who suddenly receive hope, assurance and happiness by listening to the glad tidings of Bahá’u’lláh.
One day in a small town of Nepal, a Bahá’í teacher and Kedar, our brave pioneer in that country, were sitting in a country inn, enjoying a cup of tea. Suddenly the chief of the village, who had heard the Message of God on the previous morning, appeared in the inn and took Kedar out. The Bahá’í teacher did not know what was going on between the two but he could see from the window that they were struggling, as though quarreling. After a little while Kedar returned alone with a smiling face and said that the chief wanted to give him ten rupees as a reward for the very good Message he had brought to him. Of course our pioneer refused to accept the money, saying that he was not supposed to give the Message of God for any material reward. He was glad that the chief had gone, after trying his best. They had not finished their tea when the chief came back again, this time with twenty rupees, thinking that such a good Message deserves
First Spiritual Assembly of Frederiksberg, Denmark,
formed April 1961. Left to right: Fereydun Vahman,
Palle Bischoff, Helmuth Bjorn, Johan Fobian, Marqurithe Bjorn, Ib Boss Henrichsen, Barazandeh Samimi, Ata Samimi, Hooshang Rafat.
[Page 8]
richer reward, and therefore his previous reward had
been refused. It took a good deal of time to make the
chief understand that they appreciated his gesture of
good will but that it would be more kind of him if he
took the money back to the village and spent it for the
good of the people.
A Short-Lived Threat[edit]
Those who are active in the field have experienced at every step the Divine Confirmations. A group of Bahá’ís, including a lady doctor, used to go for teaching activities among the tribal people. Their success was greatly upset. Two of the people from a higher caste, who were a sort of landlord and men of influence among those people, did not like the Bahá’ís to come to that area. They made a plan and engaged some hirelings to beat up the Bahá’ís on the next Sunday, so that they might learn a lesson and forget coming again for teaching the Cause. Came the next Sunday. The Bahá’ís had not as yet reached the area when they found a messenger waiting for them on the roadside. With great worry he requested them to come to the house of the landlord, saying that his son was sick and the Bahá’ís had a doctor among them. The Bahá’ís immediately took their car to the house of the gentleman. The lady doctor saw that the son had diphtheria and immediately rushed him to the hospital in town. The Bahá’ís were not beaten on the way nor will they ever be beaten, as now one of the two gentlemen is a very enthusiastic believer and the other one, whose son was sick and was saved by the Bahá’ís, has promised to do his best to help them in their works.
In the village of Gandhinagar, Bhurlibai participated in the literacy classes which our Bahá’í School teacher is conducting. After learning the alphabet, the first word which she ever wanted to compose was “Bahá’u’lláh.”
Sometimes we encounter very interesting incidents during the course of our teaching work. This is an instance: Due to misunderstandings prevailing in the hearts of Muslims and Hindus of this country, usually there is much misinformation and animosity between the followers of these religions against each other. One day a Brahmin, who did not like Islám for his own reasons, came across some Bahá’í literature. He was greatly impressed by the Teachings but because names like Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sounded to him as Islamic, he thought that the teachings were from the Mohammedan Faith. He took the book and enthusiastically went to the mosque. Beaming with happiness he congratulated the gathering of Muslims for their very good religion, saying “I did not know that you had such a wonderful religion.” It must have been quite embarrassing for the good Brahmin to learn from Muslims that the book he was praising was not an Islamic book.
Forty Bahá’í Villages[edit]
Praise be to Bahá’u’lláh! It is only one year but He has provided us a wonderful beginning. There are over forty villages whose inhabitants are completely Bahá’í. The teaching work, which is in full swing in Central India, has now been expanded to the western state of Gujrat and the southern state of Mysore. Preliminary steps have been taken to give the Message to the masses of eastern India in the state of Orissa and to the masses of northeastern state of Assam. A very important step which the Bahá’ís of India took in the course of one year of their mass-teaching campaign was the dedication of Teaching Institute at Indore, Central India, which is hoped to be a source of knowledge to the new believers and training to the Bahá’í teachers for the propagation of the Cause in still wider areas.
When we witness that a number of dear souls have arisen in groups with utmost detachment, when we see that they bravely go deep into jungles, mountains, villages and remote places in the name of God, we will remember these words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
“Oh, how I long that it could be made possible for me to travel through these parts, even if necessary on foot and with the utmost poverty, and while passing through the cities, villages, mountains, deserts and oceans, cry at the top of my voice ‘Yá-Bahá’u’l-Abhá’ and promote the divine teachings. But now this is not feasible for me; therefore I live in great regret; perchance, God willing, ye may become assisted therein.”
Suggestions for BAHÁ’Í NEWS Correspondents[edit]
As long ago as 1925 the beloved Guardian, in a communication to the American National Spiritual Assembly, wrote that BAHÁ’Í NEWS, then called the Bahá’í News Letter, “should be made as representative as possible, should be replete with news, up-to-date in its information, and should arouse the keenest interest among believers ... in every corner of the globe.” Since then numerous suggestions have been made as to how correspondents everywhere could help to carry out Shoghi Effendi’s directive. Following is a revised list of such suggestions.
Articles Should Be Brief, Accurate, Prompt[edit]
With the Faith growing rapidly, space will increasingly be at a premium; therefore articles should be as brief as conditions permit, stripped of nonessential details and concentrated on news of national and international interest. There should usually be no long quotations from letters and, in accordance with a further directive from the Guardian, no long quotations from the Writings.
Correspondents are earnestly asked to submit material
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as promptly as possible. Frequently articles are
received four or five months after the events reported,
which obviously destroys their news value and sometimes necessitates omission from BAHÁ’Í NEWS.
Times and places of events should be fully stated, particularly when several events are treated in the same article.
Finally, it is well to bear in mind another statement of the Guardian; namely, that to attain its objective BAHÁ’Í NEWS “must combine the essential qualities of accuracy, reliability, thoroughness, dignity and wisdom.”
Pictures Should Be Clear and Well Composed[edit]
Photographic prints, preferably on glossy paper, should be no smaller than 2¼ x 2¼ inches (approximately 6x6 centimeters). Large groups normally call for larger prints, but with the possible exception of panoramas of great bodies of individuals, none need be more than 8 x 10 inches (20 x 25 centimeters).
All pictures should be sharp and clear. This calls for adequate lighting and a steadily held, properly focused camera.
Pictures of people should not be taken from greater distances than necessary if good-sized, recognizable images are desired. Such pictures should not be overly formal or stiff. On the other hand, it is of course important— especially in photographs of assemblies and committees — to give thought to dignity of dress and posture, because once a picture is published it becomes a record for all time.
Pictures of assemblies should include all nine members, and date of formation (or incorporation) should be given.
In taking pictures of buildings, and of landscape areas such as interesting surroundings at a summer school, it is sometimes helpful to include one or more unposed persons to enliven the scene or give “scale” to the other picture elements. Ordinarily this does not apply to formal pictures of Temples, Shrines, etc., intended for wide and continued use.
Simple but Important Preparations for Mailing[edit]
In preparing pictures for submission, please do not write, and especially do not type, on the back. Simply rolling a print into a typewriter can damage it, and most typing “punches through,” particularly punctuation marks. Please do not put marks, such as arrows to point out individuals, on the pictures themselves. If there are white margins, small numbers can, if necessary, be shown there and keyed to a typed or written explanation. Ordinarily all legends or captions should be typed or written legibly on separate slips of paper and pasted either on the back or at the bottom of pictures.
Please do not use staples or paper clips on prints, since both frequently result in damage and make some pictures unusable.
The need for careful packing is shown by the fact that many pictures now reach Wilmette in damaged condition. This is particularly regrettable since they should be available for use not only in BAHÁ’Í NEWS but also in The Bahá’í World.
The desirability of receiving pictures promptly and, if possible, at the same time as the articles to which they relate, cannot be overemphasized. Some important pictures arrive in Wilmette as late as eight months after the event. Obviously they cannot then be regarded as “news” pictures.
Continued Cooperation of Correspondents Solicited[edit]
Very often articles must be drastically condensed due to a dearth of space. For the same reason some pictures may be held, and may never appear because of a loss of timeliness. Nevertheless, the efforts of the BAHÁ’Í NEWS correspondents everywhere are deeply appreciated and indispensable, and it is hoped that these faithful friends will continue to give their fullest cooperation toward the enhancement of a publication which the Guardian considered as being of great importance to the Faith.
_____
(NOTE: National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies throughout the Bahá’í World are respectfully asked to appoint national
correspondents as heretofore, and to make their names and
addresses known to the local communities, so that news considered to be of international interest may be sent to these
official representatives for transmittal to BAHÁ’Í NEWS.)
BAHA'I IN THE NEWS[edit]
The 1962 edition of Chases’ Calendar of Annual Events, a widely distributed fifty-six page booklet published in Flint, Michigan, largely for purposes of trade promotion, lists three Bahá’í-sponsored annual events: World Religion Day, Race Amity Day and World Peace Day. The first of these events has been mentioned in the handsome 8½ x 11-inch publication for eight successive years.
A new 22 x 32-inch poster, urging travelers to “Visit Israel,” shows a magnificent full-color view taken from Mount Carmel. None of the outstanding features of the big picture are identified, but it is dominated by the gold-domed Shrine of the Báb and the green-roofed International Archives Building. The poster was produced by the Israel Government Tourist Corporation.
On December 19 a well-known Washington, D.C., newspaper, The Evening Star, published a feature article on the recent presentation of Studio House in that city to the Smithsonian Institution, famous historical museum. One of Washington’s earliest cultural centers, Studio House was the family home of Laura Clifford Barney, who collected and translated the talks of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá published under the title Some Answered Questions. During final preparations for the transfer of the mansion, Mrs. Barney came to Washington from Paris, where she and a sister reside. The closing paragraph of the article is devoted to the Faith and refers
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A television cameraman records a devotional program
used later in a telecast sponsored by the Bahá’í communities of Champaign and Urbana, Illinois.
to Studio House as a place where it “came to the
attention of America.”
Fingerpost, the newspaper of the several Anglican churches in the Caringbah (Australia) area, included in its October 1961 issue a complete front-page article headed “The Truth about the Bahá’í Faith.” The article summarized Bahá’í history, criticizing the Faith for its origin from Islam. It described the Bahá’í teaching on the unity of religions as a synthesis designed to overcome religious intolerance. The main point of the article was its statement that the claims of Jesus Christ are absolutely exclusive and are rejected by acceptance of Bahá’u’lláh. (From Bahá’í Bulletin of Australia)
Bahá’í exhibit at the New Mexico State Fair, held in
Albuquerque last autumn. Many thousands of visitors
saw the booth with its Temple picture, colorful corrugated wall paneling and expertly executed lettering and
religious symbols. The exhibit was manned by twenty-eight believers from over the state, and thirteen helped
put it together.
In her new book Out of the Mist, Jean Arnett states
that she spent considerable time with the believers
in Switzerland. Commenting on this contact she writes
that Bahá’ís “expect a progressive expanding spiritual
concept to fit the constantly expanding universe. They
embrace a reality that does not divide but would unite
all mankind in one universal faith and brotherhood ...
these people are not preaching or forcing on others a
truth. They are aspiring as individuals to live it.”
Two of the tours offered in a prospectus issued by the Week End Tours and Travel Agency of Chicago, Illinois, include visits to the Wilmette House of Worship. In reference to one of these tours the prospectus says simply, “At Bahá’í Temple we stop to view the interior and exterior of this beautiful edifice.” Regarding the other, which covers places of worship of five faiths, it emphasizes “20-minute informative lectures plus 10-minute question periods ... Nothing contrary to any Religion.”
Three members of Peru’s national community recently became sources of publicity for the Faith on diverse fronts. The December 30 issue of the Arequipa newspaper Noticias, reporting a scientific discourse by Grover Gonzalez, mentioned among his distinctions the fact that he is a member of the National Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Peru. A provocative article entitled “What is the Bahá’í Faith?” appearing in a January issue of La Industria of Chiclayo, announced a public meeting addressed by Dr. Guillermo Aquilar Argandoña. And in the United States the Ohio Wesleyan (University) Magazine, reviewing the career of alumnus Lester Long, stated that he and Mrs. Long are now in Peru as “missionaries for Bahá’ísm.”
In its issue of December 1 an important California newspaper, the Los Angeles Examiner, carried an article on the career of Mrs. Dorothy Wright Nelson, an attorney and an associate professor of law at the University of Southern California. After noting that Mrs. Nelson is one of the few American women on law faculties, and that she credits “a strong religious faith” as one of the factors responsible for her accomplishments, the writer stated that both she and her husband “are active in the Bahá’í movement, editing the Bahá’í World Book and lecturing widely.”
When Dr. Alfred Neumann and Dr. Charlotte Neumann went to Ghana (Africa) on a public-health mission sponsored by Harvard University and the United States Government, one of their most exciting discoveries, according to a recent Brookline, Massachusetts, newspaper story, was “the existence of Bahá’í believers in the smallest villages.” The article stated that the couple are adherents of the Faith, and that Dr. Alfred gave up private practice for public-health work partly because of his religious beliefs, feeling that in this way he could serve more people.
The January 21 issue of The Indianapolis Star carried another example of the frequent mention of the World Center made by American newspapers in “what-to-see” travel stories about Israel. In this instance the writer of an extensive article put the reference into
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these words: “Haifa is the home of the Bahá’í Shrine
and gardens ...”
The travel and resorts section of the December 17 Detroit (Michigan) News featured an article on Israel. In concluding his description of the spectacular view from the summit of Mt. Carmel, the enthusiastic author wrote, “Surmounting the scene, in a garden of incomparable beauty, is a huge building with a gold-covered dome. This is the world center of the Bahá’í Faith ...”
A prominent article in the January 1962 issue of the Cornell College Alumnus (Mount Vernon, Iowa) noted the election of Hugh E. Chance, a graduate of the institution, as secretary of the U.S. National Assembly, and recounted his other services to the Faith. The article was enhanced by a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Chance at the Wilmette Temple.
The February 15 issue of the Australian Post magazine included a picture of the Sydney Temple, accompanied by a brief but sympathetic article. The latter described the new House of Worship as “an Eastern gem in an Australian bushland setting.”
Over the headline, “Haifa is a Colorful Gateway,” the March 18 travel section of the Rocky Mountain News (Denver, Colorado) showed a large illustration completely dominated by the Shrine of the Báb. The picture caption opened with these words: “A domed Bahá’í shrine on Mount Carmel overlooks the city ...”
Utilizing free time on the “Chapel of the Air” program over Station WKXL in Concord, the New Hampshire friends in February presented five morning radio broadcasts. Notices of the series were sent to believers and their contacts and brought tangible results. However, the best guarantee of a large listening audience was the fact that one of the broadcasts was given on February 20, with the station operating on a stand-by basis in anticipation of the orbital take-off of astronaut John Glenn. Though momentarily expecting an interruption, listeners heard the program in its entirety, and were no doubt pleased by the appropriate closing prayer, supplemented with mention of the special prayers of the Bahá’ís for the astronaut’s safety.
On January 24 the Illinois Times, a semi-monthly tabloid published in Champaign, used part of its front page to report a talk given in nearby Urbana by Hand of the Cause William Sears. Pictures of the Wilmette Temple and of the speaker supplemented the challenging statements from his talk. Hand of the Cause Zikru’lláh Khádem, with whom Mr. Sears was staying, was also mentioned, as was the position which both occupy in the Faith.
The December 24 issue of the Daytona Beach (Florida) News-Journal brought its readers a somewhat pessimistic two-column Christmas editorial deploring the large percentages of national budgets being devoted to armaments. In countering this tendency the writer quoted, among other things, the famous words of Bahá’u’lláh spoken to Professor Edward G. Browne, including
Sign of builders and contractors on the grounds of the Frankfurt Temple. Top lines read: “First European House of Worship of the Bahá’ís.”
this passage: “... Yet do we see your kings and
rulers lavishing their treasures more freely on means
for destruction of the human race than on that which
would conduce to the happiness of mankind ...”
An eventful, previously reported visit to Honolulu, Hawaii, by Mrs. Thelma T. Gorham gave rise to publicity on her return to the United States. The December 15 issue of The Black Dispatch of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, ran a detailed story of her Hawaiian activities, replete with references to the Faith and emphasizing that she is the first Negro woman to be prominently featured at the University of Hawaii. Mrs. Gorham is
Exhibit of the believers of Key West, Florida, at the
recent Monroe County Fair. Newly recognized as a religious group, the local assembly was granted use of
the space without charge, and two of its members, Mr.
and Mrs. Arthur Crane, were designated as co-chairmen of the Fair Association’s religious committee. The
exhibit, which stressed progressive revelation and the
Ten-Year Crusade, drew much favorable attention and
attracted even more youth than adults.
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National Bahá’í Addresses
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Writings of Bahá’u’lláh displayed in the lobby of a large hotel, Green Bay, Wisconsin.
on the faculty of Southern University at Baton Rouge,
Louisiana.
After participating in a fireside in a Bologna (Italy) home, a writer for the newspaper Avanti wrote a sympathetic article published under the title, “An Evening with the Bahá’ís.” In it he set forth many of the principles of the Faith and, perhaps with a particular purpose in mind, stressed the point that in the Bahá’í view “there can be no conflict between religion and science.”
Last December 22 the Pottsville (Pennsylvania) Republican reported the departure of a local couple to “do missionary work with the Bahá’í Protestant Faith.” Informed of this, a believer wrote the Republican and also the West Schuylkill Press and Pine Grove Herald, pointing out the error and outlining the Faith’s true nature and mission. Both newspapers printed the letter in full, jointly giving it five times the space taken up by the original article. Moreover, an observant Sunday school teacher asked her class to read the letter and come prepared to discuss the Faith and its relation to the present day.
In the November 24 issue of Greater Amusements, a bi-weekly motion picture trade journal published in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a reviewer strongly recommended that theaters show “Badjao.” This picture, he said, “has a terrific theme of non-prejudice between Christian and Moslem, between brown and white, which has a moral that is akin to the modern Bahá’í teachings of today.” The story concerns the poignant love affair between a member of the Badjaos, a lowly Christian gypsy tribe of sea workers in the Sulu Archipelago, and a Moslem chieftain’s daughter.
Calendar of Events[edit]
- FEASTS
- May 17—‘Aẓamat (Grandeur)
- June 5—Núr (Light)
- HOLY DAYS
- May 23—Declaration of the Báb
- May 29—Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh (3:00 a.m.)
Baha’i House of Worship[edit]
(As of May 15)
- Weekdays
- 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Entire building)
- 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Auditorium only)
- Sundays and Holidays
- 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Entire building)
- 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Auditorium only)
- Sundays
- 3:30 to 4:10 p.m.
- Sunday, May 20
- 4:15 p.m.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is published for circulation among Bahá’ís only by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í World Community.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is edited by an annually appointed Editorial Committee: Mr. and Mrs. P. R. Meinhard, Managing Editors; Mrs. Eunice Braun, International News Editor; Miss D. Thelma Jackson, National News Editor; Miss Charlotte M. Linfoot, National Spiritual Assembly Representative.
Material must be received by the twentieth of the second month preceding date of issue. Address: Bahá’í News Editorial Office, 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
Change of address should be reported directly to National Bahá’í Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
